Beyond Differences
by TheInfiniteExpanse
Summary: Rallen and Maja are stranded on an agricultural colony after Rallen's cruiser is destroyed by a mysterious new Krawl.Together, the two must survive. However, this new alliance will become much deeper than either of them could ever know.M, could be changed
1. Introduction

"This is Officer Rallen of the Nanairo Planetary Patrol, what happened?"

The red-head stood calmly as a citizen explained, "S-sir, we're just a simple agriculture colony; we were just tending to our crops, when these horrible creatures came and attacked! They destroyed everything with fire and warped the landscape into a barren wasteland. We depend on that produce to survive. Please, help us!"

At the end of the explanation, that same citizen was on his knees, begging. "Alright, alright, I'll check it out!" Rallen sighed.

He pressed some keys on his gauntlet and brought up the comm-system, "Jeena, they have a situation here. Something about creatures burning their food. I'm gonna check it out. Hopefully, it'll just be some rogue Spectrobe or something."

His partner nodded, "Roger that, Rallen. Good luck out there."

He grinned, "Since when have I needed luck? Iku ze!"

That old catchphrase peppered his language once in a while, although, he couldn't remember the last time he had used it with enthusiasm.

Rallen, once a junior member of the Nanairo Planetary Patrol, had risen through the ranks over the years to become a military officer. His partner and long-time friend, Jeena, had become a communications officer, specializing in her abilities with technology.

It had been years since any sort of disturbance had affected the Nanairo system, and it was strange that something like this would appear out of the blue.

At first, the only thing Rallen could think of to explain it were Krawl, but, after he had traveled to Wyterra, hadn't he destroyed all of the Krawl trying to devour the system? Something was very odd, Rallen knew that for sure.

As he trekked through the village, it seemed barren, as if it had been abandoned. Windows were closed, doors were locked, everything and everyone seemed just...

Gone.

Rallen's spine tingled at what could have made all of these people this frightened. A Spectrobe awakening itself was exceedingly rare, but not completely unheard of. Why would an innocent creature destroy entire fields? Corona Spectrobes certainly were not the gentlest of creatures, but, they would never do something as cruel as that. No, this case, as impossible as it seemed, screamed Krawl.

His feet, however, continued to direct him as his mind wandered. Soon enough, he felt his feet touch dusty soil, and looked to see nothing but desert, save purple, striped cracks here and there. He activated the built-in blaster on his arm and kept it at the ready.

There was no mistaking it.

Krawl were here.

Rallen's battle-hardened instincts kicked in automatically. His senses picked up every sight, smell, and sound around him, as if anything and everything could attack him at any moment.

His experience paid off as a patterned, purple tendril shot out above his shoulder, inches from cutting his neck. In an instant, Rallen replaced his blaster with a sword and charged towards his attacker, only to be parried and sent sprawling.

"Rallen..." That voice made his heart freeze. He knew that voice. A giggle resounded across the landscape, "You're still cute when you're mad."

Maja.

"You? How are you still alive? You were trapped in the Krawlosphere!" Rallen stood, weapon at the ready.

A graceful purple figure stepped out from behind a boulder, a cloak covering most of her body, "It was quite simple, really. I escaped."

His red-orange eyes narrowed, "But the Krawlosphere-"

"No matter what you say, Spectrobe Master, I'm here and in plain sight," She sat down on a nearby rock and crossed her legs, "So, what are you planning to do? Stab me with that stick you call a sword? Honestly, I thought you would have gotten smarter over the years."

"The Krawlosphere was destroyed. How are you alive?" His right arm twitched, causing the sword to shimmer. Maja's eyes were drawn to the movement, unimpressed,

"Let's just say I fell out of favour with the Krawl and escaped, and leave it at that," She looked back up at him, "I see you've not changed much at all. So much like him... Yet so unique."

"You're talking about Krux, aren't you?" She nodded.

"Perhaps you aren't so naive after all. He was once huma-"

Rallen cut her off, "I know all about your former leader, and I know that I sent him away, never to terrorize anyone again," Maja raised an eyebrow,

"You didn't do that by yourself. Your little partner, Jeena, was it? She helped you. And you awakened the Ultimate Form. There is no way you could ever do all of that by yourself," Rallen seemingly shrunk at that, not able to come up with a witty comeback.

"You know what? Enough time for talking, you're a Krawl, it's time I do this. Honki de iku ze!" With that he charged toward the purple High Krawl, expecting his sword to make short work of her. What he didn't expect was for her to simply stand up and catch the blade between her hands,

"Honestly, Rallen. It will take more than that to defeat me. I am a High Krawl, after al-"

A deep rumbling cut off her small monologue. Rallen's attentions were drawn to the giant pillar of smoke blooming in the distance, "The cruiser!" He began to run away to check on his ship, when he realized that Maja still clutched his sword.

"Let go!" A deep frown obscured her features, and she ran after him after letting go. From her expression, Rallen guessed that even she didn't know what was going on.

The duo ran past smoldering remains of the village, not pausing to check for survivors, and made it to the landing site. What was left shocked them both: the patrol cruiser that had served Rallen and Jeena for years was now a pile of molten metal.


	2. Chapter 1  Violet Melody

**Totally spazzed on an author's note last time, sorry about that xD**

**Many thanks to my friend DragonHeartZam, for beta reading this!**

**I do not own Spectrobes, Rallen, or Maja. This fan fiction is for my own sick pleasure- I mean amusement, and the amusement of others. :B**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"You did this, didn't you? You were just a distraction!" Rallen whirled around, shouting at Maja, who calmly held her hands up in defense.<p>

"Don't look at me, space boy. I'm not a Corona. Whoever did this to your ship wanted you here, I was just dumped here after my escape. And whoever, or whatever, destroyed your ship has power they can throw around easily. It would take some effort for me to create a fireball that big. This goes much higher than just me..." Worry had set into the High Krawl's face.

"Wait, if you didn't do this..." He looked to the wreckage, "then who did?"

"I wish I could say...that ship was our ticket home."

He glared at her, "Our ticket? It was MY ride home, you had nothing to do with it."

"I may be a Krawl, but that doesn't mean I can survive forever in space. It's called hitchhiking," Rallen sighed,

"Look...I'm gonna see if there's anything left that can be useful in the ship. You go do your... Krawl things," Maja crossed her arms, "If you haven't noticed by now, we're the only survivors in this hemisphere. We're going to have to work together, Spectrobe Master."

Rallen tried to formulate some reason, something, anything, to prove that her logic was wrong. When nothing came to mind, he sighed exasperatedly, "Fine, fine. But don't get in my way."

She shook her head and fell in line behind him, calculating eyes scanning every inch of rubble for any indication of items. "Hey, look there!" One of Maja's hair tendrils pointed at a Spectrobe fossil balancing precariously on the edge of a half-melted piece of metal.

"A Komapod fossil..." Just as Rallen began making his way toward it, the makeshift shelf collapsed, sending molten debris in its wake.

"Rallen!" Without thinking, Maja ran in after him, using her tendrils to rip off the hot metal that threatened to burn him to death. She didn't even feel the pain as she dragged him out, concerned only with the safety of her temporary partner. She noticed that he was clinging to the fossil for dear life.

"Rallen... You moron... You could have gotten yourself killed..." She frowned at the tenderness in her voice. She was a Krawl, not a human, she shouldn't be showing emotion like this, should she? Maja shook off the notion as she frantically inspected his burns, "This armor, you're cooking inside it," With that, she began hacking at it with her tendrils, trying to pry off the blazing hot circuitry before it could scorch his limbs beyond repair. The red-head tried to shake her off.

"Comm-system...spectrobes!" She shook her head,

"Your life is more important than a container, at this point. I'm getting you out of there," In a matter of minutes, Rallen's armor became unintelligible, a pile of sparking circuit boards and metal. Thankfully, his limbs didn't seem too charred, but it would take a while for Rallen to heal from the severity of the burns he did have.

"K-Komainu..." Rallen weakly reached for the fossil, only to be blocked by one of Maja's tendrils.

"Rest, cosmo kid, we've got to find somewhere to set up camp. This place's weather drops into single digits every night. I won't have my only way off of this planet die from frost bite," With her longer tendril, she picked up the wounded officer, carrying the fossil in her arms. Maja lost herself in her thoughts while her eyes idly scanned for an undamaged hut. She eventually found one with minimal damage, the roof caved in in one part. It would have to do until they could find proper shelter.

"Hang in there, Rallen..."

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><p>Rallen awoke with a groan, eyes coming into focus. He quickly silenced himself as she looked over, and feigned sleep. Maja turned her attention back to the Komainu fossil, studying it carefully. Gently, she removed her gloves and took the fossil in her hands, and did something Rallen certainly didn't expect.<br>She began to sing.  
>It was a small melody, originating from only her mind, but it carried throughout the entire hut. Rallen never knew how beautiful the language of the Krawl was. Perhaps they had only been corrupted by Krux...<br>"Múscail, leanbh beag, mo iontaise beag, awake ó do shuan. Komainu, mo daor beag, múscail agus a bheith saor in aisce," She held the final note out as the fossil began to glow. Rallen watched in awe as his own Komainu awoke, it's skin a deep, shining amethyst, tinges of red catching the dim candlelight.  
>"Woah..." He couldn't help but speak. Maja's eyes snapped in his direction,<p>

"You were awake...?" Rallen nodded,

"Yeah... Your song... it was, well...beautiful. " Her pink skin turned a shade darker, but she shook it off quickly,

"I was just waking up your little...whatever it is. Don't thank me."

"But-"

"Don't move, space-o kid. You're burns are bad, and I have to go find food. Stay. Here," She put emphasis on the last two words and picked up the newly-awakened Spectrobe, "Come on, Komainu," It squealed and hopped after her on its stubbed paws.

"What have I gotten myself into...?" Rallen wondered aloud as she closed the door with a tendril.

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><p>Maja sighed in frustration, "Why am I taking care of him? He's destroyed so many of us... Why am I considering letting him live?" She voiced her thoughts to the dark-coloured Komainu in her arms, who looked up at her with curiosity. It squealed its usual cry and snuggled up against her chest.<p>

Suddenly, it jumped from her arms, "You find something?" It ran in the opposite direction, toward a partially-burned stone house. Maja used her tendrils to rip off the door and jogged inside, finding stores of unburned food. "Jackpot," She grinned and collected everything she could carry, bringing it back to their little makeshift refuge.

Rallen sat on the bed, staring at the bandages that covered his hands and feet, "Was I really that careless? I've never been hurt like this before..." His musings were interrupted by Maja stumbling in with boxes upon boxes of food. "Woah..." She smirked,

"This ought to last us the day, if you pace yourself," Her voice was laden with snarky sarcasm. A smug grin broke her purple skin, pushing the darker markings up slightly.

"Why you-" he winced, sitting on the edge of his bed, "Stupid burns..."

"Hey, easy there. Those are going to take time to heal. You humans don't work like we do, and, frankly, it's very inefficient. I don't know how your species has survived for so long."

"And how are you Krawl so much better?" He frowned, about to cross his arms, then thought better of it and laid them back down on the bed.

"Simple. We heal by reconstructing our molecules. We take damaged cells and restructure them as they were before. It's instantanious. So much more practical."

"How is that even possible? No creature can do that..."

"Watch and learn," Maja held her hand out, "Go on, bite it, do something to injure it." Rallen raised an eyebrow, but complied. He dug his teeth into her flesh, idly noticing that her skin smelled like lavender flowers. She hissed, "Gah, no need to bite that hard!" She pulled her hand away from his mouth and watched as it changed to a gel-like substance. Within a moment, it had reformed, completely unscathed, "I told you."

"That's really weird..." Maja rolled her eyes,  
>"For you, maybe. Not for me." She sighed and looked back to the table, "So...you hungry?" Rallen shook his head,<br>"Nah...I don't need help from a Krawl anyways. I can take care of myself- augh!" He made the mistake of crossing his arms, "Ow..." Maja sighed,

"You moron..." She carefully took him by the shoulder and assessed the damage to his forearm, "You ripped some of your stitches..."

"I have stitches?" He blinked, trying to withdraw the burned appendage.

"You, in your infinite clumsiness, also have a giant gash on your arm. I suggest you let me re-stitch these before you bleed to death." Instantly, he pushed his arm back towards her, wincing as she removed the now-bloodied bandage. "You humans are such mess makers when you're wounded. It's disgusting. " Maja muttered to herself as she began to pull what was left of the thread from the burned muscle. Soon enough, she finished the final stitch, "Don't make me do this a third time."

She turned away to put the medical supplies away, when he spoke, "Wait..."

"What?" Maja calmly looked back to him,

"...Thanks..."

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><p><strong>Rate and review if you liked it, please! :D<strong>


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